Theresa May says Brexit talks in 'endgame' despite ongoing deadlock
3 min read
Theresa May has insisted the Brexit negotiations have now entered the "endgame" despite ongoing deadlock on how to solve the Irish border problem.
The Prime Minister admitted the talks have been "immensely difficult" but insisted she will not be bounced into a deal which betrays the result of the EU referendum.
That was interpreted as a rebuke for Michel Barnier, the EU's chief negotiator, after he claimed that the "permaters" of a deal are now in place.
Delivering her speech to the Lord Mayor's banquet last night, Mrs May said: "The negotiations for our departure are now in the endgame. And we are working extremely hard, through the night, to make progress on the remaining issues in the Withdrawal Agreement, which are significant.
"Both sides want to reach an agreement. But what we are negotiating is immensely difficult. I do not shy away from that.
"The Brexit talks are not about me or my personal fortunes. They are about the national interest – and that means making what I believe to be the right choices, not the easy ones.
"Overwhelmingly, the British people want us to get on with delivering Brexit, and I am determined to deliver for them. I want them to know that I will not compromise on what people voted for in the referendum. This will not be an agreement at any cost."
Mrs May's comments came ahead of a crunch Cabinet meeting this morning at which Brexit is expected to dominate.
According to the Telegraph, the Prime Minister will be warned by euroscpetic ministers, including Shadow Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab, that leaving the EU without a deal would be better than giving in to Brussels' demands for compromise.
Cabinet has until tomorrow night to approve a Brexit deal if there is to be enough time to arrange an emergency EU summit to sign it off by the end of the month.
If that does not happen, the next opportunity would be next month's European Council in December, meaning a Commons vote on the deal would be unlikely to take place until January - barely two months before Brexit day on 29 March, 2019.
Writing in the Telegraph, former Foreign Secretary Lord Hague said it was time for the Government to step up its no-deal planning.
He said: "With little more than four months to go and no deal agreed, any set of ministers would need to do this, just as countless Cabinets before them have had to prepare for eventualities they did not want to see realised, from wars to recessions to natural disasters.
"It would be irresponsible not to do so, and whoever replaced anyone resigning would have to do it anyway."
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